Events and campaigns
Events can build community and unrestricted cash, but they also consume volunteers. Model the profit before committing.
This is a simple planning calculator. It excludes GST/accounting treatment and payment fees unless you add them into costs.
Event ideas
| Idea | Profit potential | Effort | Watch-out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quiz night | Medium | Medium | Needs strong ticket sales and raffle/sponsor add-ons. |
| Community dinner / auction | High | High | Procurement and event delivery risk. |
| Skills clinic / holiday programme | Medium | Medium | Needs safeguarding, coaching and venue planning. |
| Sponsored challenge | Medium | Low | Needs strong digital comms and payment tracking. |
| Merchandise pre-order | Low–Medium | Low | Only works if pre-sold and minimum order risk is controlled. |
| Major raffle | High | Medium | Prize value, ticket sales and lottery rules must be checked first. |
In New Zealand, raffles and sweepstakes are lottery games. If total prizes are more than $5,000 your group generally needs a licence, and there are rules even below that threshold. Check DIA before selling tickets, especially online or for high-value prizes.
Every event should produce a two-page report: gross revenue, costs, profit, sponsor acknowledgements, photos, volunteer lessons and what to repeat or kill.
Open report form